environments are united in one unit to create a maximum learning output.
In particular, in order to improve students' second language acquisition, the teachers at school and the language department in the dormitory work together to provide the best input based on theory and practice directly through the various subject matter provided and the various activities carried out as well as the many regulations applied.
Compared to the two businesses in the two environments, the modern Al-Iman Islamic boarding school can produce proficient graduates in a second language, especially English. It can be proven by the end of school activities for students to carry out amaliyah tadris activities to test foreign language proficiency with the media "teaching practice”. In addition, the output of the two learning environments can be seen from the ability of students to work on evaluation questions from teachers at school and their ability to speak a second language in the dormitory environment to communicate with other students.
Al-Iman modern Islamic boarding school has two learning environments: a formal environment (at school) and an informal environment (in a dormitory). Both of these environments provide good input for students' second language acquisition. Maximizing the entire environment to provide input will maximize the maximum output or results for students' second language acquisition.
1) School as Formal Environment
In the formal environment (schools), teachers have the most essential and most crucial role (just like schools in general) in providing learning input to students. The modern Al-Iman Islamic boarding school uses the 2013 curriculum (K13). The English teacher conveys learning input from English subject materials under the syllabus and teaching materials from the K13. The learning process or input from English teachers in a formal environment is carried out in classrooms and language laboratories with various methods and learning techniques.
The English teacher at Al-Iman Islamic Boarding School also provides some additional vocabulary at each meeting in the classroom as a form of enrichment of students' vocabulary.
This is an additional treatment carried out by the teacher in helping the students' second language acquisition. Another study mention that, teachers are viewed as critical in establishing a favourable academic atmosphere, owing to their
features of superior subject knowledge and sufficient time spent instructing, including as a full-time teacher in a particular school. These abilities include the ability to create a thriving classroom atmosphere, a comprehension of the curriculum and its purpose, the ability to adapt teaching and learning methodologies, and the ability to reflect on their teaching and their students' responses. This is consistent with the notion that a pleasant academic environment entails effective instruction, a strong emphasis on autonomy, clear goals and standards, proper assessment, and an adequate workload (Hashim &
Yunus, 2018).
The material delivered by the teacher at the modern Al- Iman Islamic boarding school is under the syllabus, which was previously guided by the 2013 curriculum. It is acknowledged by the English teacher at the modern Al-Iman Islamic boarding school that in schools, the results of student evaluations vary (some students get low scores and others get high scores) this is because each student has their way of learning and ability to understand what the teacher is saying.
English teachers at Al-Iman Islamic Boarding School themselves have recognized that students have different levels of motivation, different attitudes about teaching and learning, and different responses to specific classroom environments and
instructional practices. Because the more profound the teacher understands the differences, the better the opportunities for students to meet diverse learning needs. Teachers at this Islamic boarding school also understand three categories of diversity that have been shown to have important implications for teaching and learning, namely differences in student learning styles (typical ways of retrieving and processing information), approaches to learning (surface, deep, and strategic), and developmental levels.
Even so, the teacher still regrets that learning English that explicitly wants Indonesian students to master English has not been fully achieved in any school environment. The Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture revealed in the 2013 Curriculum Language Teacher Guidelines that the English language learning objectives listed in the distributed curriculum and the teaching materials suggested therein (including the syllabus) had not been achieved only by studying in the school environment to date. In the end, teaching and learning activities and their results are returned to teachers and students in each school. It depends on how much effort and how creative both parties are in undergoing the learning process to achieve learning objectives.
Learning is never a burden for students if every new knowledge or information to be captured is presented in the style they like. If teachers make fun of learning, students' performance in exams is bound to improve. The onus is on the teacher to understand students' learning styles and adapt rather than expecting students to adapt to their teaching styles.
Besides that, from the student's perspective, it is also essential to increase self-motivation so that any input given by the teacher at the school can be absorbed and understood correctly.
However, the school environment's limited time and learning opportunities are not enough for students to absorb or practise the theories they have acquired in the classroom.
Although the inputs that have been given are so many and sound, the opportunity for students to process these inputs (practice theory) is still minimal. This can cause most of the material that has been obtained to be poorly absorbed or passed. The addition of work or homework is also a solution given by teachers at school to help students understand the material with a longer time.
Indirectly, learning activities in the formal environment (school) of the modern Al-Iman Islamic boarding school are the same as most schools in general. So that if the teacher does not provide special treatment in providing input or in the
implementation of the teaching and learning process, the results or output obtained will also be the same as other schools that carry out the English learning process in a formal environment.
2) Dormitory as Informal Environment
The informal environment (dormitory) at the Al-Iman Islamic boarding school is the most crucial environment that is considered to have the most significant influence on the process of acquiring students' second language. The informal environment in the dormitory is a bilingual environment which requires that it is an environment that helps teachers in schools practice all aspects of language skills, starting from listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
In the informal environment (dormitory), Islamic boarding schools have special treatment given to support acquiring a second language for their students where the modern Al-Iman Islamic boarding school forms a student organization that has a Language section that is in charge and responsible for designing, organizing and implementing linguistic programs that aim to develop students' second language acquisition, especially in the dormitory environment.
Some of the programs that have the most significant influence are as follows:
English All Day
English all day is a regulation that requires students to communicate using English throughout the day. This is one habituation so that students can get used to the English language. At school, the average student will only learn from listening and paying attention to the materials given by the teacher.
However, the dormitory becomes a very supportive environment to develop their speaking skills. This is because students have to interact with other students in the dormitory, wherein each interaction, students are required to comply with applicable regulations, namely using English. The compulsion occurs because spies will record them if they do not speak the official language; then, they will be punished. This concern for students to get punished is one of the motivations for students to obey the rules.
English all day is perfect for reducing students' lack of confidence. Students who lack the courage to start speaking in English with their lecturers or classmates will not develop their communication skills (listening and speaking because the interaction is needed. This is the most straightforward problem because it is just a matter of habit.
If their habits are in speaking well, they can speak English fluently in the future (Listiawati & Aryani, 2017).
This is the basis for implementing regulations using English as the official language of everyday life. Besides increasing individual confidence when speaking foreign languages with other students, students will also develop their acquisition second language.
Morning Vocabulary Enrichment
Morning vocabulary enrichment is an attempt by the language department to increase students' vocabulary so that communication in students' second language also develops.
The more vocabulary mastered, the easier it is for students to write and speak.
Research has shown that second language readers rely heavily on vocabulary knowledge, and this lack of knowledge is the biggest obstacle that readers have to overcome. In communicating with other people, we have a meaning or concept that we want to express to that person;
we need a store of words that we can choose to express this meaning or concept. Many researchers argue that vocabulary is one of the essential components so that "even without grammar there is little that can be conveyed, but without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed" (Alqahtani, 2015) this is what can then become the basis for why
vocabulary enrichment is a daily program continues to be implemented.
Not only that, but all language skills will also increase as the vocabulary mastered increases. Starting from listening to being more explicit and faster to understand what the other person is saying, speaking without rethinking or remembering vocabulary if it is rarely used or does not know beforehand (some regulations require students to look for equivalent words in English and mix or switch if students do not know the vocabulary to be spoken in English).
Based on the techniques used to present new vocabulary and vocabulary learning strategies, the experts suggest more techniques to help students learn vocabulary quickly (Alqahtani, 2015)). Therefore, the language section provides these vocabularies by drilling and giving examples and for long-term reinforcement of students' vocabularies, namely by requiring them to use them after getting vocabulary according to their needs and continuing to get used to it in daily activities in the bilingual environment.
Language Exchange & Language Free Day
Language exchange and language-free days here are two programs that are the driving force for realizing a
bilingual environment, namely getting used to two languages in one environment. This is done to make it easier for students to always focus on the two languages used and be familiar with both, namely English and Arabic, which are the official languages of the bilingual environment in the modern Al-Iman Islamic boarding school dormitories.
The language section has been very active in creating, conditioning, and developing bilingualism for students since the first-time students studied and lived in dormitories of Al-Iman modern Islamic Boarding School. This correlates with various studies that state that the bilingual human brain has several significant advantages (Djumabaeva &
Kengboyeva, 2021). In addition, the use of a second language increases the activation of certain parts of the brain, known as brainwashing.
Today, the cognitive advantages of bilingualism are clear. Some people still believe that bilingualism is considered a barrier to children's development because it consumes the energy needed to keep switching between languages (draining the brain to think). This view is based primarily on erroneous scientific work (Djumabaeva &
Kengboyeva, 2021). Recent research has shown that
multilingualism can lead to the development of decision- making skills, the ability to switch between tasks, and the ability to concentrate.
Language Court (Punishment)
The word "punishment" sometimes has a negative connotation for some people where it is always associated with "ordering others to do bad or bad things". However, the language department at the modern Islamic boarding school Al-Iman has a different policy for violators (students who do not follow the rules or the language section program). Punishment intends to discipline students in language, which helps motivate or encourage students to acquire a second language from the input provided through the regulations and programs implemented.
Punishment itself always goes hand in hand with rewards that are much needed in education (including learning in a bilingual environment that requires high discipline). For the language section, punishment is a deterrent effect on violation of rules committed by students, but keep in mind that the punishment given by the language section at the modern Al-Iman Islamic boarding school is not in the form of physical torture but leads to motivation to learn and practice independence. Rewards and punishments
are essential to train the independence of students, especially those who are struggling in learning a second language to get final quality results (Tujuh, 2019).
In detecting students who violate spies or commonly known as jasus, they are one of the parties who assist the language section in overseeing the implementation of regulations and programs in the dormitory environment.
Spier effectively solves the problem of the resource- constrained part of the language. On the other hand, the presence of spies is also an evaluation material for the language section regarding the state of the field and its balance with the applied regulations to maximize balanced and fair judgments for violators.
Performing Art Festival (Muhadhoroh)
This activity, which requires each student to perform in turns using a second language, is carried out to practice public speaking and increase each student's confidence. The second language learning process starts when students prepare speech texts, memorize speech texts, and perform performances or give speeches in front of other students on a stage (second language learning activities at the muhadhoroh event are focused only on English speech).
According to the language section, the more students often
perform performances like this; the more their courage to do public speaking in front of the audience will be honed.
In another study, it was stated that muhadhoroh activities could increase calm and confidence, sensitivity to the audience, facilitating material selection, and being sensitive to goals and presentations that are interesting and lively (Aldiyansah, 2021). This relates to the role of the language section as an instructor in an informal environment where this activity is seen as a second language learning strategy (especially in speaking skills) which provides opportunities for students to be active in these muhadhoroh activities so that the language section only acts as a facilitator and motivator.
The language section emphasizes that the learning process and language learning that can be carried out correctly can improve language skills. Good language skills can make it easier for individuals to communicate and interact with the environment (Fatimah & Kartikasari, 2018). With this, students will continue to be trained, and their second language acquisition will continue to develop along with the development of second language learning strategies that are applied or implemented by the language department in the future.
Organizational Leadership
Al-Iman Modern Islamic Boarding School Organization (OPPMA) or Al-Iman Student Organization (OSA) is seen as a small organization at the school level.
However, according to the author, this organization has an extensive and significant influence on the ongoing learning process in the informal scope (dormitory) which then continues on a learning output or final result. This Al-Iman Student Organization has the most extreme closeness to students because it is in direct contact with the input given to the learning process that occurs.
The quality of leadership affects the quality improvement process, where the leader tries to influence other members of the organization to do what the leader deems essential. Both organizational leaders and department heads who aim at quality cover three managerial functions:
planning, controlling, and quality improvement. The head of the organization and the head of the section must have leadership qualities that will share responsibilities, make continuous improvement, provide materials and tools needed by students in the learning process in the dormitory environment (Hastuti et al., 2020). In quality leadership, all
leaders must eliminate the obstacles faced, which can hinder the successful implementation of higher quality education.
In learning a second language whose research continues to grow and become more expansive, the language department is required to be able to keep pace with these developments so that new knowledge, research, and findings can be applied in Islamic boarding schools so that the change of management and leadership which is continuously updated every year can improve the quality of second language learning in the modern Al-Iman Islamic boarding school environment.
The Language Section implements special programs, activities, and regulations as inputs expected to maximize students' second language acquisition. These inputs are then processed using a bilingual environment, significantly influencing students' second language acquisition. Applying this bilingual environment makes students accustomed to carrying out various rules and activities that can develop their second language acquisition. Giving vocabulary and how to use it in conversation every morning, sticking vocabulary in every dormitory environment, watching foreign-language films, justifying languages that are often misused, and other activities that are then
continuously applied in life make students better day by day in remembering and understanding vocabulary and their use in English.
Additional activities such as language justification also play an essential role in understanding the correct use of language for students (especially for improving reading and writing skills), giving educational punishments, implementing activities that help students in honing students' listening and speaking skills through art performances, and various habits that are very helpful in providing student language input from various sides and in various ways but provide very significant results to the results to be achieved.
Overall, it can be understood the learning process or providing input in the formal environment only comes from the materials delivered by the teacher with various methods and techniques while in the school environment and this is not enough to help with the acquisition of a second language especially if students do not have other incentives to carry out further independent learning.
While the provision of input or application of the learning process carried out in an informal environment is carried out by the Language section, who is responsible for designing various kinds of programs and regulations which are then applied in the informal environment (dormitory) in the form of a bilingual environment that uses a second language as the official language in the dormitory environment, which is these aims to help maximize students' second language acquisition.
So that the critical point obtained is that the formal environment (school) at the modern Islamic boarding school Al-Iman only provides input in the form of learning materials delivered through teacher talks.
In contrast, in the informal environment (dormitory), students practice all theories of language learning through student talks for a longer time, stricter regulations, and more programs and activities where the input is wrapped in a bilingual environment supervised by the language department.
Because the environment affects student achievement, the physical environment is crucial in building a good learning environment. This is one of the things that the modern Islamic boarding school Al-Iman considers to create a school and dormitory complex that is not separated or integrated. So even though it is in the middle of a residential community, a barrier becomes the border gate between students and the general public to create a conducive environment.
The restriction of students from society is that maintaining and providing the right environment is very important in promoting and motivating students (C. J. Doughty & Long, 2003). In addition, it confirms that noise affects students' reading ability, cognitive development, physiological indicators, and tasks. The physical environment in Al-Iman Islamic boarding school includes all related things constructed by humans, including noise, crowds, housing and environmental quality (Kiatkheeree, 2018).